


White Russian

by Accal1a, JillTheMenace



Series: Love, Luck, and Lies [1]
Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux, Sidewinder Series - Abigail Roux
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, BDSM, Blow Jobs, Bondage, Choking, Dom Drop, M/M, Praise Kink, Sex Club, Sex Toys, Sub Drop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:41:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21919237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accal1a/pseuds/Accal1a, https://archiveofourown.org/users/JillTheMenace/pseuds/JillTheMenace
Summary: Nick, Kelly and Liam meet at KingDom Come for an evening of entertainment they won't soon forget.
Relationships: Kelly Abbott/Liam Bell/Nick O'Flaherty
Series: Love, Luck, and Lies [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1578808
Comments: 24
Kudos: 7





	White Russian

**Author's Note:**

> There will likely be a prequel for this, when we finish the RP, but all you need to know for now is this:
> 
> Liam asked Nick to get his affairs in order if he died in Russia.  
> Nick refused to let Liam go alone...  
> ...which meant of _course_ Kelly went with them.  
> The mission was more gruelling than expected, but they all got back alive...
> 
> Betaed by the awesome [K](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumieerie), with special apologies to [F](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyBoyAlexander) for killing them almost daily with snippets.

Liam dispassionately looked around the club, eyeing up several Doms and figuring out which one he wanted to approach. This was KingDom Come – one of the most exclusive gay kink clubs in all of Boston – and Liam could only find about three Doms that could possibly be interested in what he wanted. None of them, however, looked at all like the men he was trying to shake loose from his mind. 

He sighed and turned to his drink, wondering why he was even bothering. A seed had been planted in him in Russia, and he knew he wasn't going to shake it that easily. 

He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Perhaps one of the more seasoned Doms was approaching, and he was about to turn and give him his regrets when he stopped, and stared at the sight before him. He could hardly hide the surprise on his face as Nicholas O'Flaherty and Kelly Abbott were standing there, looking directly at him, and – was that _hunger_ in their eyes?

He quickly tucked his surprise away, and plastered his cocksure smirk back on his face, standing from his seat at the bar. “Did you decide you wanted to try a White Russian after all?”

Kelly smirked and very clearly eyed Liam up and down, much to Liam's own surprise. "Maybe."

Liam stared at them both for a long while, gears turning. Was this something he could seriously do? Perhaps he could go back with them, get whatever crazed notion he had out of his system, and then get on with it. He didn't need to hang around after, certainly.

The assassin smirked at them both, satisfied with his decision. "You think you can handle me?"

"I think we're up to the task," Nick responded with his own sultry grin.

"Is that so?" Liam said, dropping his voice down to a purr. "Do you have something in mind, for the three of us?"

"Well, why don't you tell me what you came here for...and we'll see if we can accommodate your wishes." Nick spoke softly, moving towards him.

Kelly shuddered at the tone of Nick's voice and took a step closer, looking between Liam and Nick and trying to remember how to breathe.

Liam licked his lips and looked at the two of them, slipping into the role he knew all too well. "I came here to find someone who's _man enough_ to make me surrender." He took a step closer to them, sashaying his hips as he walked. 

"To wrest so much control from me that it's up to him whether or not I even breathe. To make me ride this high between life and death, between pleasure and pain, so that I know nothing else."

He smiled wickedly at Nick. "But I swear, all of Boston is full of amateurs, expecting me to play nice. And you both know I am not one to do that."

Kelly whispered "Hoboy" under his breath and his breathing sped up when he saw Nick, who stalked across the remaining distance and grabbed Liam by the back of his neck. "Is that right?" He growled.

Liam sucked in a breath, hiding his desire to groan with another sultry smirk up at Nick. "You know it, darling. Now. What is it that you want?" He also turns to grin at Kelly. "And you, love. What do you want from me?"

Nick leant in close, his hand starting to grip the back of Liam's neck more firmly, so he can whisper in his ear. "I want you on your _knees_."

Kelly moved closer, a barely contained gasp of "Fuck" falling from his lips.

Nick turned to survey Kelly, never once letting up on the pressure on Liam. "And I think you should watch."

Liam leered at Kelly, watching his reaction avidly before turning back to Nick. "Suppose we should get a room, then, unless your intention is for this to be all on display?"

Nick's voice had gone gravely. "Room. Now."

Liam slipped out of Nick's grasp, and turned to saunter away to the back of the club, checking over his shoulder with a spark in his eyes. He spoke quickly to one of the bouncers in the back, who unlocked one of the doors and pushed it open for the three of them to enter.

Inside, the room contained enough equipment for a wide variety of bondage and sadomasochism play. All the rooms in the establishment were decked out in the same fashion, so Liam sauntered in and simply sat on one of the familiar benches, leaning back and leering at them both as they followed.

Kelly whistled when he saw the equipment, attempting to look everywhere at once. Looking over at Liam in between and wondering what they would be using on him.

Nick closed the door with a finality to it and then turned to survey everything. The noise of the club was faded in here, like the entire world was gone, and the tension was palpable.

Nick broke the silence, thought not the tension, to turn to Kelly, whose eyes were still wide. "Safeword?"

Kelly chuckled. "Yankees."

Nick smiled, then turned back to Liam. "Yours?"

Liam held up a single, small bell and rang it, a sly grin on his face. "Usually I find my mouth occupied. Something about wanting to shut me up." He winked at them both, basking in the attention. "But if not... I could also use 'Yankees' if that works for you."

Nick rolled his eyes at the bell, but nodded. "Someone wanting to shut you up? Imagine that."

Liam purred at them both. "I can't imagine why that would be the case, darling."

Nick smirked, then turned to Kelly. "I think he's overdressed. Why don't you help him with that?"

Kelly was still staring between them both, barely paying attention, his mind off in a million different directions thinking about what's to come.

"Kelly." Kelly shuddered at Nick’s tone then brought his attention back to his husband. "I _said_ , Liam's wearing too many clothes."

Kelly got Nick's meaning immediately and walked over towards Liam, with Nick leaning back against the wall to watch.

Liam stood as Kelly approached, to allow him easier access. "And the two of you? You're wearing just as many clothes as I am... possibly even more than me."

He ran his fingers along Kelly's chest. "Why don't you take this off, too, darling?"

Kelly glanced briefly at Nick, but then turned back to Liam.

"I'm sure you know how to work buttons, Bell." He raised his fingers to the top button on Liam's shirt, biting his lip as he slowly popped it free.

“I suppose I do, after all, Doc.”

Liam smirked at Nick and started unbuttoning Kelly’s shirt, running his fingers along the skin beneath and up the front of his neck. He leant in and murmured in Kelly’s ear. “It’s like unwrapping a gift.”

Kelly slowly opened up more and more of Liam's buttons, stroking the skin that he revealed, copying Liam's movements and getting totally lost in the sensations that Liam was eliciting, taking his own shirt off.

Nick moved around the room, looking at what was on offer, taking some things down from the wall, opening drawers to see what was around, keeping an eye on the men who were already making his job so easy.

Liam purred as he watched Kelly get lost in what his touch was doing to him, and slid his palms along Kelly’s arms as he pushed the shirt down his shoulders. “Let me know if you’re looking for something in particular, Nicholas.”

He turned and winked at Nick as he allowed Kelly to do whatever he pleased with his shirt and chest, leaning into the touch.

Nick kept an eye on the two of them, watching in interest as Kelly slid Liam's shirt off his shoulders when he was done. "You just keep each other busy while I plan." 

Liam winked at him again and turned back to Kelly and smirked at him, licking his lips. “Keep you busy, hmm? That shouldn’t be difficult.” He made a biting motion with his teeth.

Kelly grabbed Liam by his belt loops and pulled him forward, then let go when they are barely a hair's width apart. He traced his hands back up Liam's chest towards his nipples, scraping his nails across them until they pebbled, then twisted them between his fingers, watching Liam's face for his reaction.

Liam bit back his groan, arching his back away from Kelly’s hands so that his nipples were tugged harder. He reached for Kelly, tugging his head back by his hair and running his teeth along his neck.

Kelly shivered when the teeth grazed him, and he tugged at Liam's nipples again, harder than he intended but _goddamn_ , grinding his hardening cock towards Liam.

Nick watched with interest, the sight of those two men driving themselves to heights of passion one he hadn't realised he'd like quite so as much as he did.

Liam followed where his teeth trailed with his lips over Kelly’s skin, bolstered by his reactions. He pushed forward, angling himself towards Kelly, taking advantage of their closeness to grind himself against Kelly’s bulge with a soft hiss.

When Kelly tugged at his nipples again, he bit down into the base of Kelly’s neck, gently at first, gauging his reaction.

Kelly let out a groan when he was bitten, letting go of Liam's nipples so he can instead reach the zipper of Liam's pants, popping the button on them before managing to wrench his gaze over to Nick, who was watching them with barely disguised lust in his own eyes, a pile of items next to him on a table.

"Don't let me stop you." He drawled.

Liam groaned and leaned into Kelly, his hands working the front of Kelly’s pants with relish. He moved so that his lips were a hair’s breadth away from Kelly’s own, and murmured softly. “So much for watching, hmm? Tell me what you want, Kelly.”

Kelly shivered again, fingers stilling on Liam's fly before remembering what his goal was. Now that Liam's pants were hanging open, Kelly reached around inside them, grasping Liam's ass and pulling their groins closer together, writhing in barely concealed desire.

Liam’s eyes lid halfway at the feel of Kelly, and he leaned back slightly to shove Kelly’s pants past his hips. He brings his face close again, whispering into Kelly’s ear. “Use your words, Doc. Or have I rendered you speechless?”

Nick walked up to them then, looming behind Kelly and pulling his hands away from Liam and behind his back so he can tie them together at the wrist with soft rope that he expertly tied off quickly.

Kelly struggled with the feeling, seeing just how much movement he had, and was shocked to find that although he probably could slip the bonds eventually, he wasn't sure he could do it quickly, and that was hot as all hell.

"Behave." Nick leant in and whispered in his husband's ear.

Nick reached around and pushed Liam back a step, letting his eyes roam so that he could take in his dishevelled nature, before moving around Kelly with another rope, aiming for Liam.

Liam smirked at Nick, watching him as he ties Kelly up, brow raising at his speed. “Do this often, darling?”

He cocked his hips to the side, pants half open, the sheer hunger in his eyes unmistakable. “Oooh, I _do_ look good in purple. Good choice.”

Nick moved to stand behind Liam, pulling his wrists behind him and then holding them with one hand whilst bringing his other hand up to hold Liam's neck, dragging Liam's head back as he did so.

"Are you going to behave as well?" He growled in Liam's ear.

Liam canted his hips forward at the touch, letting his shoulders lean towards Nick. If anything, he was going to be remembering this night for years. “Only if you make me, darling.”

"That's what I thought." Nick said, his voice low, before taking his hand off Liam's neck so he could tie him tightly, rope around both wrists and forearms, giving Liam less movement than Kelly, knowing he'd love that.

Liam smirked and pulled against the rope experimentally, testing the knots. “You’ve done this before,” he murmured, puzzling over the new information. “Haven’t you?”

He turned around and grinned up at Nick. “Or did the handcuff budget at the BPD get depleted because someone happened to _nick_ them all?”

Kelly snickered, but Nick rolled his eyes.

He stepped to the side so he could look at the both of them, matching rope, matching eyes pooled with lust, matching messed up hair and half on pants and he had to take a deep breath before he knelt down and started to unlace Kelly's shoes, removing them and his socks before helping Kelly out of his pants entirely.

Kelly full on whines when Nick pushes him backwards slightly with a touch to his stomach, but no other touch.

Liam watched them raptly, running his teeth across his lower lip as he takes in the scene in front of him, and the glorious sight of Kelly’s naked body, and Nick disrobing him with love and care. He swallowed, squirming against the bonds, trying to shimmy his own pants farther down his hips to no avail.

Nick moved to Liam, carefully unlacing his shoes too, pulling off his socks and divesting him of his pants. When he stood again, he spent long seconds looking over the both of them until Kelly was making this keening sound in the back of his throat.

Kelly tried to walk towards Nick but he stopped him with a look.

Liam sucked in a breath at the tender and unfamiliar gesture, eyes heavy on Nick. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it as he realized he could not find the words he wanted to say. This seemed more than just a simple tryst, and that thought was too dangerous to consider. 

He looked over at Kelly, his eyes darkened with lust at the keening noises he had made, his desire for more. Liam almost felt lost from simply watching him struggle, before he snapped back to himself, to the moment. He trained his eyes back on Nick and rolled his shoulders back, widening his stance, knowing just how sexy he was in that posture. He smirked again, saying absolutely nothing, but gestured down to Nick’s pants with his eyes and the tilt of his head.

Nick laughed at the look he was given, and unbuttoned his own shirt, divesting himself of it quickly.

"Better?" He smirked.

“I’d say about halfway, darling,” Liam grinned at him, cock twitching as he drinks in the sight of both of them in.

"Don't be greedy." Nick chastised, continuing to smirk.

“Oh, but I _am_ greedy, darling,” Liam drawls in a near-automatic response. “And I will take what _ever_ I will get.”

Nick took a smaller piece of rope out of his pocket, going back towards Kelly again.

Kelly eyed the rope's size and correctly surmised where it was going to go. " _Nick_."

"I'm just giving you a bit of help, Kels." Nick said, the hint of a smile in his voice.

Kelly moaned as soon as Nick touched his dick, attempting to thrust towards him, but Nick's ropework was swift and he'd made an approximation of a cock ring with additional constriction around Kelly’s balls within about 30 seconds.

" _Nick_ ," Kelly moaned again. and when Nick stepped away Liam had an uninterrupted view of Kelly, bound up like a present, cock impossibly harder than it had been mere moments ago,

Liam watched Nick go over to Kelly with a raised eyebrow wondering what he was up to, tapping his bare foot in impatience, and let out a groan as he gets a full view of Kelly bound up tightly.

“Oh, _fuck_ ,” he breathed. “That is so _hot_.”

Kelly laughed at the proclamation, but it's breathy and it's clear how affected he is by everything.

"Now, Kels, I'm going to play with Liam for a while, but it would be utterly unfair for me to leave you completely alone now wouldn't it?"

Nick moved around behind Kelly again, and the men heard the sound of a cap being opened and then closed. Holding one hand flush against Kelly's belly, the other moved further down until all Liam can see is the breathy little moans that Kelly is making and minute thrusts of his hips as the only movement he's able to do as Nick opens him up.

After a while, Nick walked back over to the table and came back with a fairly large plug with a wide base, which he worked into Kelly slowly.

"There we go, you just play with that now and watch the show, eh?"

Liam bit his lip as he watched Nick work on Kelly, writhing in one spot, and holding back his moan as he sees just what Nick is working into Kelly. He felt himself clench down on nothing, his body wishing that was him being stuffed.

Then again, if it was a show Nick wanted, Liam would perform. He undulated his hips, stretching his shoulders back and forth, testing his bonds again, before he sauntered over to Nick. "I still think you're wearing too much, darling."

Nick guided Kelly's hand to the end of the plug, then stepped away from him quickly and grabbed Liam by the neck again. Hard.

He moved him with one hand on his neck and the other holding the rope on his arms, then pulled him flush with him, grinding his hard cock into Liam's back.

"Knees." He growled.

Liam groaned at the constriction around his neck, finding his body responding even faster than his brain can think of some smarmy retort. Despite his best intentions, he doesn't try to turn his head to look at Nick. Instead, he stared at Kelly in rapt fascination as he sank to the floor.

Once there, he tilted his head back to look directly upwards, trying to see Nick behind him with the same playful smirk on his lips. "A man of many words, hmm?"

"Don't need them." Nick declared, walking over to the coils of rope again.

Kelly sank to the floor himself, his hand starting to move at a leisurely pace, almost tentative. This was something else entirely. He couldn’t quite wrap his head around it, but damn if it wasn’t hot.

Nick returned to stand by Liam, wrapping rope around his neck in a way so as to give the holder maximum freedom but also quick release.

Liam sucked in a breath as he watched Nick work. "You still haven't told me where you've gotten your practice, Nicholas. I didn't see that much rope on the _Fiddler_."

He felt the rope tighten, threatening his airway but not yet restricting, and felt himself twitch with desire and arousal. He looked over at Kelly, his eyes lidding as he saw the rise and fall of his hips as he started playing with the plug.

"Like you're the only one who's been in a club before." He tied off the rope with a slight jerk, leaning down to whisper in Liam’s ear. "Enjoying the show?"

Liam gasped under the jerk and canted his hips forward again, seeking any sort of friction and finding none. He nodded up at Nick before returning his gaze to Kelly. "What about you, love? You like what you see?"

Kelly groaned when he saw Liam jerk forward, and again when he saw the look on Nick's face. "No fair, Nicko."

Liam went back to smirking at Kelly, relishing in the heated gaze sliding between him and Nick. "Feeling like you want to be all choked up, too?"

Kelly gasped at that, and his hand moved quicker. He whined when he realised he couldn’t quite get the right angle, tied as he was. "God, Nick. What the fuck, Babe?"

Liam went back from looking at Kelly to looking up at Nick. “I wonder if Doc isn’t truly the one putting on the show here, for us.”

He turned back to Kelly, watching him struggle with his frustration. “If you want to _use_ the rope, Nick, you should pass me my bell.” He licked his lips, eyes not straying from Kelly. “I forgot to grab it earlier — I was distracted.”

Nick laughed, looking at one and then the other man. "Stay."

He walked to the bench and picked up Liam's bell, handing it off to him and checking the blood flow in his hands and arms at the same time.

In a voice as normal as he could get, because he could not deny being affected by the whole thing, he said, "Show me you can ring it?"

At the timbre of Nick’s voice, Liam bit back a groan and nodded, half-lidded eyes looking up to meet Nick’s. He maneuvered the bell between his fingers so that it was held between two knuckles, and he wagglesd them back and forth to make the bell sound. 

“It’s also loud when I drop it,” Liam added, his voice taking on a soft quality that could almost be mistaken for affection.

Kelly was enjoying the show Liam and Nick were putting on, and he knew he should stop his thrusting, stop trying to move, because Nick was a devious son of a bitch and even without his cock all tied up he knew he was unlikely to be able to get enough stimulation to make himself come. But he can't stop himself, because this is probably one of the hottest things he's seen in his life and the barely-there change to Liam's breath at the mere _hint_ of his throat being constricted was sending bolts of pleasure right through him. He doesn't know if it's the way Liam is acting that's so damn hot, or whether it's that he wished he was the one with a rope around his neck, but either way he wasn't looking away. This was far too good.

Liam gave Nick a saucy wink before turning back to look at Kelly, twisting his body in a blatantly fake stretch of his torso to allow him the briefest glimpse of how well tied his hands and arms were, and the bell between his fingers.

He leered at Kelly avidly, watching his thrusts, and he’d be damned if the sight didn’t make his cock twitch. To know that he was being watched just as intently brought a shiver down his spine, and caused him to thrust, trying to give himself a little stimulation even though he knew damn well there’d be nothing.

Liam saw Kelly's shoulders twitch, as if he was trying to move his hands to touch. The movement seemed involuntary, and Kelly's eyes raked down Liam's bound form, smiling when he saw Liam's cock twitch, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to the other man.

Nick wrapped the end of the rope around his hand, tightening the slack until he has maybe a foot and a half remaining. It was enough that Liam could feel the rope more clearly around his neck though it isn't constricting, but it's short enough that Liam knows that with a mere jerk of Nick's wrist he would be struggling to breathe. Nick didn't do anything further though - he just waited, letting the moment stretch, blatantly leering at the two men.

Kelly moaned when he saw the way Nick was looking at him. This was blatantly unfair.

Liam drew in breath at the feel of the rope losing it’s slack, preparing himself for the constriction that didn’t come, and arched his back towards Nick far enough that he could look directly upwards to find Nick’s gaze. He raised an eyebrow in question, daring him to tug further. “Just testing the waters, darling?”

"Enjoying the view." Nick said, staring at Kelly, before looking directly into Liam's eyes as he finally pulled enough, twisting the rope further around his hand by turning his wrist, his gaze never leaving Liam's.

Eventually it was taut enough that just one more turn would cut off Liam's breathing.

Nick paused, looking deep into Liam's eyes, searching for any hint of doubt or worry at the situation. He glanced at the bell and then looked back and finally, _finally_ turned his hand one more time.

Liam started to groan as he felt the rope tighten around his neck, trying and failing to not let Nick's words wash another wave of arousal over him. His airway constricted, and his toes curled at the very knowledge that this was Nicholas O'Flaherty doing this to him - the man whom Liam would place his trust in above all others.

As his airway was cut off, he arched in ecstasy, a blissed-out expression crossing his face. Without hesitation, he gave himself over to the floating sensation that always threatened at the corner of his mind but that he never allowed himself to experience fully whenever he engaged in this sort of play. Nick was in control, and he'd be damned if he didn't want more.

Nick saw the utter bliss that crossed Liam's face and he stifled a groan of his own. This play was so damn hot it should be illegal.

He kept the rope taught for 10 seconds, then loosened it, checking Liam's face for any hint of concern. He heard Kelly moan but didn't glance his way, all of his concentration on Liam. He knew that Liam wanted this, knew that he would enjoy it, but having someone's life literally in your hands was a heady mix of terror and euphoria, and he knew he would need to check in with himself frequently too, make sure this wasn't too much for him. It wasn't something he had ever had to think of before, never used his own safeword, and the fact that this was something that made him think about one meant this was special, and he was going to do it right.

As soon as the rope loosened from his neck, Liam gasped in a breath, feeling that rush that came with the oxygen returning to his system. He breathed in and out, dimly aware of Kelly moaning across from him. 

His eyes were completely trained on Nick, watching him carefully — for what, he wasn’t quite sure. Out of all the men he had been with (in this capacity, at least), Nick was the only one who had the ability to completely overpower Liam, at least before Liam could break free and regain the upper hand. His mind swam with that thought, and he needed that — his mind — to stop immediately.

His breathing started to return to normal, and he nodded at Nick with a sly grin. At this point, he knew that he would take whatever Nick was willing to give, and he would do it happily.

Nick smiled rakishly at Liam, letting his own arousal bleed in to his gaze, letting Liam know exactly how turned on he was by the turn of events. He kept the leash tight, but not constricting, letting Liam feel it there, the weight of it, before looking over at Kelly. What he saw there had his mouth hanging open.

Kelly was biting his lip, his hair falling into his eyes a little, his gaze pinned on Liam, thrusting the plug in and out of himself slowly and as deeply as he can, letting out breathy moans as he does so.

"Christ, Kels." Nick whispered.

Kelly managed to tear his eyes away from Liam to look at Nick, and what he saw there has him letting out a breathy moan. "Fuck, Nick. Fuck you. _Fuck_."

Liam pressed his lips on a groan under the weight of Nick’s gaze, on the weight of the leash, waiting for his next move. He stayed there, entranced, waiting — normally he’d be pushing for another right now, _what the hell_ — until Nick’s whisper at Kelly has him snapping to look at what had caught Nick’s attention.

Kelly was a goddamn sight to behold. A wanton moan reached Liam’s ears before he even knew it was him making the sound, licking his lips and rocking forward as if it was Liam fucking himself so deliciously.

Liam looked back up at Nick, with unadulterated want in his eyes. “Please,” he groaned, although he doesn’t have a clue whether he wanted the leash to tighten again, or if he wanted to see Nick’s hands (or better yet, Liam’s _mouth_ ) on the gorgeous man in front of them.

"You want something, Bell?" Nick asked smoothly, tearing his eyes away from Kelly and looking back at Liam.

Liam tore his gaze away from Nick and back to Kelly, taking him all in his gaze before looking back to Nick, licking his lips and eyeing the tight bulge right at eye level. “Yes.”

Nick chuckled darkly, then pulled up on the rope again, making it constrict for a brief second. "Up."

Liam gasped in pleasure at being constricted again, and obeyed wordlessly, pressing forward onto his knees before climbing to his feet, bell held carefully in his hand so as to not make a sound. He looked between Kelly and Nick, his mouth open and panting between them.

Nick tugged at the rope again when they were face to face, cutting off Liam's air for only five seconds, that time. He tapped a finger of his other hand against his chin as if in thought.

When Nick pulled the rope tight, Liam felt his whole body start to tingle with sensation again, and he watched Nick with heated eyes as he involuntarily struggled to breathe.

When the rope loosened, Liam gasped in a breath, body thrumming with pleasure as the oxygen rushed back into his veins. 

"No, I don't think we need this anymore. There are other ways I can shut you up."

He started to undo the rope around Liam's neck reverently, but still squeezed Liam's neck for a brief two second stint once the rope was gone, keeping him aware of the power Nick had over him.

Liam dimly heard Nick say something as the rope was removed, and he tried not to show his disappointment at the loss.

The disappointment was short lived, however, as his attention completely snapped back to the forefront when Nick grabbed his neck and squeezed, and he drank in the heady feeling of Nick’s power over him.

He groaned on the release, finding his breath to rasp the words “As you wish”, looking up at Nick with half-lidded eyes.

Nick maneuvered Liam so he was sideways to Kelly, pushing him down whilst still holding his neck.

It gave Kelly an uninterrupted view of Nick, finally popping the button on his pants and slowly drawing down his zipper.

Kelly licked his lips involuntarily and sped up his hand movements. There was nothing hotter than Nick slowly unwrapping himself.

Liam groaned at the sight before him, licking his lips and watching Nick raptly. Even though he was unable to take his eyes away from Nick, his proximity to Kelly made him feel and hear everything the Doc was doing. Between that and Nick's firm hand on his neck, his senses were on fire, and he ached to be able to do something - anything - to stoke the flames and show these two just how bright he could burn.

Kelly's movements were erratic as he watched Nick remove his cock from his pants, still half dressed, and for some reason that was far hotter than it had any right to be. Him and Liam naked and taken apart and Nick half-dressed with only his ink on show was a sight to behold.

His cock was aching in its bindings and he hated Nick so much for the reminder. Very occasionally he was able to hit his prostate, but it wasn’t consistent enough to cause him to climax. Nick didn't _need_ to wrap him up, but he did. Yet one more power play from his hot as all hell husband. Bastard.

"Go on." Nick said to Liam nonchalantly.

Liam crooned when Nick finally freed his length from his pants, and thanked whatever deities he didn't believe in for the sight he held, that glorious dick just inches away from him.

He smiled slyly up at Nick, and moved to almost take him into his mouth, but he stopped a mere breath away. "Go on and...?" He asks Nick with a quirked eyebrow. Even though he was pretty damn sure he knew what Nick was ordering him to do, he did enjoy a little push now and again.

Nick didn't say anything more, just tightened his grip on the back of Liam's neck, squeezing. He pulled him forward until Liam was close enough that Nick could take himself in hand and push himself up against those sinful lips.

"What made you think that was a suggestion and not an order, Bell?"

He squeezed the back of Liam's neck harder, to make his point.

Kelly whined at the timber of Nick's voice and worked himself quicker, chasing a release he knew he wasn’t going to get..not until Nick wanted him to at least.

"Jesus fucking _Christ_ , Nicko."

Liam looked right up into Nick’s face with a defiant look in his eyes as he mumbled against his cock, letting his lips brush against the cockhead with his retort. “Lack of specificity, _darling_.”

Still looking right up into Nick’s eyes, he ran his tongue along the slit before drawing him into his mouth. He sucked him in greedily with a hum, working down his length until Nick was down his throat and his nose was pressed up against Nick’s skin. He swallowed around him once, before pulling off him and lathing the underside with his tongue once more.

Nick's eyes somehow went a shade darker at the sight, even as he bit back a groan of his own. He fisted his left hand in Liam's hair, tugging hard enough to bring a sharp bite of pain to Liam's scalp.

Holding Liam's head still, he pushed himself further into his mouth, rocking gently, never breaking eye contact. A sharp hiss of pleasure the only sound he made.

Liam moaned around Nick as his hair was tugged, welcoming the pain as it washed over him, adding to his arousal. His own cock felt heavy between his legs as Nick rocked into his mouth, the hiss music to his ears that reaches right down to his groin. He was dimly aware of Kelly moaning something at his side, but his attention was entirely trained on the man in front of him and inside his mouth.

Would Nick dare to go deeper? He let his smirk reach his eyes as he looked into Nick’s, in what hopefully would amount to egging him on.

Nick had already planned to pull Liam closer, but that look in Liam's eyes made him want to _wreck_ him. He glanced to the side, able to see Kelly frantically plunging the plug in and out of himself, keening quietly, entirely lost to his lust.

Pulling his cock free from Liam's mouth for a moment, he reached down to the rope around Kelly's dick, pulling it loose.

Kelly groaned as a wave of pleasure rocked through him. Nick was giving him an out. Nick knew that Kelly could come just from something in his ass. He knew this was Nick's show though, and he didn't trust for a second he'd actually be able to do it. He didn't recognise the whine that started within him until it had been coming from his mouth for a few seconds.

"Fuck you, Nick." He managed to gasp, plundering his hole and hoping for a release he was pretty sure he was never going to get, he just didn’t have the right angle, didn’t have the right pressure. His orgasm was tantalisingly out of his reach.

Nick smirked at Kelly, then turned back to Liam, grabbing a fistful of his hair and guiding his hard cock back to the sinful lips in front of him, breaching the hole and thrusting with slightly more force than he had been last time.

Liam would have made an attempt to appear affronted at the redirection of attention had Kelly's reaction to the rope being undone not gone straight to his own dick. He felt a drop of precum leak and drip to the floor between his knees at the sight of Kelly's wanton thrusts, and growling at Nick for... the lack of attention? The sight of his husband sending Liam into an utterly debauched place?

He wasn't too sure, but the thought process stopped mattering once Nick's hand was in his hair again, and he pressed himself into Liam's mouth as if he belonged there. And for that moment, he certainly did. That thought sent a shiver down his spine as Nick thrust in and out of his mouth, hinting at, but never quite breaching, his throat. That thought of his throat being stuffed that way had him rolling his hips in time to the sound of Kelly rocking the plug in and out of himself, his body quaking with pure need.

Nick slowed his thrusts until he was barely rocking in Liam's mouth, breath far too calm considering what he was doing.

He locked eyes with Liam, hand tightening still further in his hair to keep him absolutely still whilst he very slowly entered Liam's mouth again, pushing until there was barely any space between them, and then pressed just that millimetre more, cutting off Liam's air.

Liam groaned around Nick as he pushed further into him, until he found himself unable to do so as his airway was blocked. His eyes closed halfway as he started to hear the roar of blood in his ears as his body reacted to the intrusion. The adrenaline coursed through him, re-igniting his nerves to the point where he felt shadows of nearly everything done to him so far that session all at once — Kelly’s hands twisting and pulling his nipples, Nick’s hand and the rope around his throat. He feels himself tighten at once, and it could have been mere seconds to an eternity before Nick pulled back again to let him breathe — he had no clue.

HIs blood roared in his ears as he gasped for breath, saliva leaking from his mouth and dripping to the floor beneath him. That soft, floating sensation was encroaching on his senses again, and he fell into it immediately, looking up at Nick, wantonly.

Nick watched Liam incredibly carefully, waiting for the precise moment that he could pull back, giving them both the maximum enjoyment in the act. From the way Liam was going a little starry eyed, Nick knew he was playing this exactly right.

He waited for Liam's breathing to start to even out, not letting him get completely right footed, before he does it again, this time two short bouts of suffocation, with a small reprieve in between. He doesn't look away from Liam, because he wanted to check in with him, but he couldn't deny that staring into each other's eyes was incredibly intimate in a way few things are. He was staring into the eye of someone who trusted him enough with his life, and the weight of that responsibility was not lost on him.

Liam was positively soaring with pleasure, even as he gasped and coughed a little after that last bout of suffocation. The way Nick looked at him during this shouldn’t have made his heart flutter like it did, but he would be damned if it wasn’t happening. Even during the longest, he knew Nick was being careful about the entire thing, and he didn’t even come close to feeling he needed to tell him to back off — he just somehow _knew_ before he even felt slightly lightheaded to pull back. And he’d be damned if that wasn’t the hottest thing ever, that he could give himself over to this and trust Nick so implicitly with himself.

After catching his breath for a few moments, he choked out a breathy whisper. “More, _please_.”

Kelly whispered a broken " _Fuck_ " when he heard Liam's statement, torn between watching one of the hottest things he had ever seen or closing his eyes and trying to block it out because it wasn’t doing him any favours...except who was he kidding? He wasn't missing any of this.

Nick chuckled at Liam. "Greedy." Pairing the sting with a soft stroking of a thumb at the base of Liam's skull.

He pulled Liam back in quickly, lining himself up and moving Liam's mouth up and down his cock a few times before bringing Liam's head in for another breathless moment.

Liam wasn’t sure what choked him more in that moment — the soft intonation of Nick’s words paired with the soft touch to his head, or the massive cock blocking his airpipe. The feeling of choking made his eyes burn, and he drank in the sensation along with the rest, feeling it as if he was experiencing some other physiological release outside of the eroticism he normally felt when in situations similar to this.

But if he were honest with himself, there was _nothing_ similar to the high he was feeling, and to the safety he felt even if he wasn’t in control of whether he could breathe. This was a high he could feel himself chasing forever.

When Nick pulled out again, he made to chase him with his lips and tongue, licking, sucking, and slurping what he was able to in between gasps for air. He could taste Nick’s precum on his tongue and in his throat as he cleared it. 'Greedy' was only the half of it.

“Oh, God, _yes. Fuck._ ”

Liam losing his composure was something neither Nick nor Kelly were expecting (although why they thought he would be perfectly put together in a situation like this, they couldn't say). Watching it happen was enough to make Nick bite his lip and Kelly curse again.

Kelly finally thought he'd managed to maneuver the plug in such a way that he'd be getting some stimulation, but it was at a difficult angle; still, he'll go utterly insane if he didn't come sometime soon. He raised up onto his knees, widening his stance so he could arch his back and chase the right angle. It meant he could only see if he straightened up again, and it was a harsh trade-off considering that the scene in front of him was so delectable, but if he didn't come soon, he would absolutely _lose it_.

Nick full on growled at the fact he has managed to get Liam to curse, and he moved Liam closer again, but continued to tease by not pulling him directly onto his dick immediately, seeing whether the kitten licks and utterly debauched sucking off parts of his cock would continue if he did so.

Liam’s body thrummed happily at Nick’s growl and he wondered if he could get him to do it again. He lathes what he can of Nick’s cock with his tongue, attempting to pull himself forward so he can reach further down the underside, but only getting so far as Nick’s hands in his hair would allow.

He slipped his mouth over Nick, licking and sucking and humming, being sure to pay extra attention to his slit. At this point, his singular goal was to simply give of himself what he could to Nick, to return the affection he felt in Nick’s stare and his hands on him.

Nick bit his lip and hissed at the humming, and he'd be lying if the way Liam strained to get at him but was unable to do so, due to the hand twisted in his hair, wasn't absolutely doing it for him. Liam wanted _him_ that much. That was one hell of a fucking ego boost.

He glanced over at Kelly and nearly entirely short-circuited at the view he received. "Holy _fuck_ , Kels."

Kelly would straighten up with a wink or a witty retort if he hadn't managed to work out a good rhythm and angle that he didn't want to disrupt. Instead he just panted and whimpered and hoped that would drive Nick mental because he fucking deserved it, the bastard.

Nick looked back to Liam and tightened his hand in his hair, smirking and pulling Liam towards him again, not teasing or letting Liam feel anything but the power emanating from him. He held Liam there until he saw a very slight twitch to Liam's arms, the beginnings of the body fighting without conscious thought, before he pulled off.

Fuck. Oh, _fuck_ , Liam was this close to falling apart on this, and he couldn’t even do anything about it. That last bit of choking did it for him, a mix of sweat and a slow trickle of tears near his eyes as he fought to regain his breath. His body was roaring, and he was arching, trying to let his cock rub against absolutely anything but the thin air around him.

He felt as if his entire body was being caressed, despite absolutely nothing happening to him below the neck. The embrace of the ropes on his arms was simply comforting at this point, knowing he couldn’t do more than just wait for Nick to decide when and where anything would happen without him being able to take it for himself.

He let out a keening moan, and tried to reach for Nick again with his lips. “God _damnit_ , I’m _close_ ,” he practically whined. “I need...”

He trailed off, his greedy brain having filled his head with too much without him being able to articulate any of it.

Nick let Liam's hair go and let Liam take what he wanted from him.

"That's it, you love to have a thick cock in your mouth don't you? Love to feel that weight on your tongue, the taste in your mouth, you're _made_ for this, Liam." Nick ran his mouth, keeping still by sheer force of will.

"Why don't you come for me?" He said, cocky, and paired it with twin, _hard_ pinches of Liam's nipples.

Liam immediately went back to blowing Nick, drawing him into his mouth and running his tongue along his underside as he sucked it down his throat once more, swallowing, his cheek brushing against the fly of Nick’s pants. He felt electric, Nick’s words washing over him with a sense of adoration that he clung to, rocking his mouth along Nick’s cock as he did, cutting off his own airway for moments at a time.

Then, Nick pinched him, and his nipples started to sing almost over the sound the suggestion — no, _order_ — in his ears was heard, and he was lost. He arched as if his body wasn’t his own as he cried out in orgasm, thrusting the air pitifully as his cum spurted out of him, some of it landing on Nick’s pant legs.

 _"So fucking hot."_ Nick whispered, pulling himself away from Liam so he could see the look on his face as he came, the stain on his pants somehow compounding the heat of the situation.

Nick saw Kelly arch more than he had been out of the corner of his eye and the strangled noise he made in the back of his throat, not a word, not a groan but some mix of the two as he came, hand never stilling, pumping into himself to prolong the ecstasy.

He reached for his own cock, knowing after both of these shows that he wouldn't need much more to tip himself over the edge.

Liam writhed through his orgasm, pumping his hips into nothingness as he spilled messily. Nick’s words felt like another caress and he groaned, cock twitching once more.

In his delicious haze, he was dimly aware of Kelly having come as well — it seemed like Nick’s order was for them _both_ , and if that wasn’t the hottest thing...

Nick’s hand went to his cock, and Liam couldn’t help but lick his lips. “Going to put that back where it belongs, darling?” Liam rasped, his voice breathy and soft to match the haze he felt around him.

Nick chuckled breathily, but moved closer again, letting Liam take what he wanted, his hand merely resting on his shoulder, not forceful in any way at all, absently rubbing his thumb across the skin he finds there.

Liam grinned and took Nick into his mouth again, licking and sucking to tease. As his head slowly stopped swimming in the haze he was in, he wondered if he could get Nick to get frustrated enough to grip his hair and fuck his mouth again.

This time, he doesn’t look up at Nick as he laps gently on the underside of his cockhead — he looked right at Kelly, and winked.

Kelly had stopped his frantic pumping of the plug in and out of his hole, but he was still vaguely moving it, probably without realising. He licked his lips and leaned slightly forward to watch the show, because something about cocky, frustrating Liam on his knees and servicing Nick was a sight to behold. His dick twitched a little at the sight, and he half wished he'd been able to watch this earlier, even while knowing he had desperately needed to get off and that was very necessary.

A harsh puff of air left him as he saw Liam begin to tease again. Holy fuck.

Liam pulled off Nick to duck underneath and lathe at his balls with his tongue, turning back to Nick to watch his reaction carefully. He trailed his tongue back up his underside and just barely took the cockhead into his mouth, sucking gently at his tip with a satisfied hum.

Nick closed his eyes and let out a breathy noise. It wasn't quite a moan, but it could be. He balanced himself by holding on to Liam's shoulders. He wasn’t pressing down, just using him as something to hold on to, because his legs were starting to go weak. He had been so close to an orgasm earlier, but this had pulled it back slightly, making it all the more sensual and all the more intense.

Liam groaned around Nick, noticing the tiny tremble in his bad leg that gave him away, and he preened under the feeling that it was _him_ doing that to Nick.

He plunged his head down, drawing him all the way to the back of his throat, before coming back up, working himself into a rhythm and sucking earnestly. Every sound Nick and Kelly made at this show went straight to his ego, and it felt amazing.

 _"Fuck."_ Nick groaned, his accent thick.

Kelly made an involuntary groan at the word, loving it when Nick got riled up enough to go full native. He looked at Liam, who was _clearly_ enjoying himself and found himself smiling, thinking the other man sinfully hot. Huh. That was new.

Nick grasped Liam's shoulders slightly harder. Either he was more unsteady or he was trying to take a bit more control and he wasn't sure that even he knew which it was at that point.

Liam groaned around Nick, making a show of sucking and slurping and taking him deep, deep enough to cut off his airway again and swallow around him. The tension on his shoulders was increasing, but if Nick wanted to take control, he would have to wrest it from him. He saw Nick’s smile, and paid no attention to the flutter it gave him in the pit of his stomach — this was his show now, and he was going to _perform_.

 _"Jesus Christ,"_ Nick bit out, pushing Liam even further into the floor with one hand, whilst grabbing the back of his head in the other, fingers tangling in his hair.

He secured Liam's head where it was and thrust into the hot mouth, lips sliding over his cock as he took what he wanted from the man in front of him. He doesn’t break eye contact with Liam and after a moment he started to run his mouth off again.

"You're made to be on your knees aren't you? Cock between your lips, a waiting hole for someone to thrust into. You're on the floor because that's where I want you, where you've been put, you're here to service _me_."

His thrusts got erratic as he felt that edge approaching and he didn't even know what he'd been saying, unable to pull his eyes away from the magnetic pull of Liam's eyes, and not sure if he even wanted to.

Liam groaned in pleasure as Nick took over, thrusting into his mouth over and over, his words making his body sing as if his airway was being cut off all over again. Everything about this had just felt so _right_ , and he wanted more.

He had no idea that was even possible, but there it was, and he was already half-hard at the thought of remaining there, on his knees, ready to service Nick whenever he pleased. Something about the thought of it being _Nick_ made his toes curl, and he moaned wantonly. With the force of Nick’s thrusts into his mouth, he wondered just how powerfully he would thrust into his ass if they fucked. Or would Kelly fuck Liam? Or vice versa?

The thought of any of the combinations felt so hot that he didn’t want any of this to end. But that wouldn’t be up to him, so he would give as good as he damn well could until the night was over.

Nick thrust for less than a minute, keeping Liam's head exactly where he wanted it as he fucked further and further into his mouth. It turned out that not only was Liam good at running his mouth, but his mouth could be used in other ways, which was very good to know.

He glanced over at Kelly, which turned out to be a mistake, because he was staring avidly at them, slightly thrusting his hips forward in a way that Nick was pretty sure Kelly had no idea he was doing. God, that was hot.

"You. Two. Are. Going. To. Kill. Me." He said, puncturing each word with a thrust, losing himself in the wet, hot heat of Liam's mouth.

When he came he pressed down on Liam's shoulder again, emptying himself down Liam's throat, his knees suddenly weak.

Liam swallowed around him greedily, drinking him in as he was held down by Nick’s hands — as if he was going _anywhere_ at that point. He sucked softly at him as he pulled out, drinking every last drop and swallowing with relish. "Fuck, _Liam_." He said softly when he finally stopped coming and started to pull out slowly.

Liam’s stomach started to flutter again at Nick’s words, and he couldn’t help but feel a big sense of loss in knowing that the scene was ending, that they’d soon go their separate ways and this would just be a memory — a very, _very_ hot memory. He files that thought away and smirked back up at Nick, licking his lips, making sure his mouth was good and clean. “I _knew_ you liked me for my mouth, darling.”

"I'll bet I'll like you for more than that." Nick breathed, leering at him for a second, before stepping away and doing himself up.

Liam grinned at Nick’s retort, despite it causing the knot in his stomach to tighten and ache despite the words being in future tense. Fuck, why did that hurt the way it did? 

Nick flicked a knife out of his pocket and went over to Kelly, neatly undoing his wrists and squeezing his hand and whispering "I love you," quickly before going back to Liam. 

When Nick turned away, he took in a shallow breath before slowly releasing all of the air in his lungs, pushing the last bit out and holding it, before he felt them burn enough for him to need another shallow breath. It was a breathing exercise that hardly worked to calm him during the best of times, but it was better than nothing.

Nick got down on his knees next to Liam and carefully undid the rope around Liam's forearms first, rubbing feeling back into them and making sure that he eased his shoulders apart slowly so as not to hurt himself, before he undid his wrists, holding them in place for a second and moving them round in front of Liam slowly.

Liam had looked down at his knees as Nick returned from undoing Kelly’s bonds, feeling Kelly’s stare as his arms were slowly untied. His mind whirred — nothing made sense. Sure, after an intense bit of play he would feel the rest of the world dim for a few days, but that was practically welcome considering his line of work. But it wasn’t just the play that was making him feel this way, was it?

"There." Nick said, smiling softly, before standing to get Liam's clothes which actually weren't that far away.

 _Damnit, Liam, get it together._ He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensations of Nick’s warm hands on his arms, bringing them around in front of him. He stayed put when Nick turned to get his clothes, but let himself sit sideways, his bent legs off to the side. He set the bell down beside him and made his fists unclench, resting them on his thighs as he tried to calm himself, or at least regain his usual exterior until he could get to a place where he could regain control.

Kelly saw Liam go from cocksure to nervous in the turn of Nick's back and he snagged his own pants off the floor where they'd dropped and he vaguely wiped himself clean before shimmying into them without getting up, before moving over to Liam. He reached out for one of Liam's hands slowly, not wanting to startle the man.

Liam was hyper aware of both of the people moving around him without looking up from his spot, but was mildly surprised when it was Kelly that moved near and reached for his hand. He took it quickly, almost greedy for the contact.

He decided he had enough composure to raise his head and give him a soft smile, unsure of what to say or do. This was normally where he’d say thank you, throw his pants on, and promise to give them a good rating with management while strutting out the door with a satisfied smirk. But... he didn’t want to do any of those things. Except, perhaps, putting on his pants.

Kelly picked his shirt from the floor and put it in Liam's lap, giving the man some modesty and not wanting this to be any worse than it was. Liam clearly wasn’t okay.

"Hey, you're okay. You're okay." Kelly said softly.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nick turn around swiftly at that, and he didn't have to look to hear the guilt now pouring off Nick in waves at the fact he might have hurt Liam. Kelly gestured for Nick to come closer and he did, sitting down on the floor next to them.

Kelly decided he couldn't deal with two spirals at once and started to stoke his thumb across the back of Liam's hand to ground him.

Liam steadied his breath, letting Kelly’s words sink in and he nodded. “I’m okay,” he said, shakily, repeating the words in his head like a mantra, smiling softly because he knew the more he did so, the sooner he would feel reason to smile.

He winced when he noticed Nick startle, and make his way over. _Oh, goddamn Catholics and their goddamn guilt complexes._

“You didn’t hurt me, or do anything I didn’t want,” he rasped quickly. This, he was more used to, comforting a Dom after play like this. The script is familiar to him enough that it was easier than articulating anything else that was going on in his head. “There are water bottles in the fridge disguised as the third cabinet, and I could really use one right now.” He finished, giving Nick something to do, so he could feel useful. He recognised that need in a Dom.

Nick stood to retrieve some, along with some wet wipes that he handed to the two men so they could clean up a little, which they did. He handed a water bottle to Liam but still sat down as close to them as possible. He put his hand on top of Liam's as well, stroking the skin in time with Kelly, trying not to let his guilt and fear overwhelm him. He started to repeat "We're okay" over and over in his own head, but he's not sure he believes it.

Even though Liam's not clothed, apart from a shirt that Nick is never going to see in the same light again, having them all with bare chests and (mostly) covered legs seems right somehow, like they are all the same.

He nudged Liam's clothes towards him anyway, in case he wanted to get dressed, but he was more than content to sit there until Liam was ready. Whatever Liam needed right now. The play had been intense and they all needed the support right then.

Liam accepted the water bottle gratefully and immediately drank from it, letting the water wash over his sore throat with a groan. He set the bottle down and reached for his pants with the same hand, not willing to take his other hand away from the both of them where they were touching him. It’s awkward, but he twisted away, hand behind him, as he worked to get on his pants, despite the boneless, floppy feeling in his legs.

He wondered idly what he might or might not be allowed to ask for, at this point. What he wanted — to lie down and be held by them both — was that something they’d agree to do? He wasn’t sure, considering the very different dynamics between them all.

Nick took comfort from the fact that Liam didn't want to break contact with the two of them when he put his pants on, and knew enough about intense feelings after intense play to know that Liam definitely shouldn't be going off on his own right now.

He checked that Kelly was still holding Liam's hand, and then got up to look through all of the other cupboards to see what else he could find. He came back a minute later with two soft blankets, both black. He spread one on the floor behind Liam and Kelly and saw that Kelly had read his mind again, he loved that he could do that.

"Come on." Kelly said softly, tugging Liam's hand so he could try and scoot them towards the soft surface.

Liam’s mouth twitched into a more contented smile as he felt Kelly tug him towards the blanket. The padded floors did not a mattress make, but at this point, Liam didn’t care, he just appreciated the invitation.

He got up to his feet and walked alongside Kelly, his legs shakier than he would like, before plopping down on the blanket, enjoying the plush comfort it brought to his skin.

When Kelly sat down on the soft blanket, he ran his hands across it, sighing softly. "Okay, I'm going to need one of these at home."

He lay down, still holding Liam's hand, then tugged Liam carefully towards him.

"Come lie down, it's like a freaking _cloud_."

Liam chuckled at Kelly’s words, and the knot in his stomach eased a little at the invitation. He climbed over to Kelly and lay down so they were side by side, hands still linked, and skin touching where they could.

He looked up at Nick to make sure he was included, too. “You joining us, darling?”

The invitation that Liam gave him eases some of the ache in his chest. He had hoped they'd be able to help Liam right now, but he was self aware enough to realise that he apparently needed the help too.

Nick hugged the second blanket to his chest, rubbed it against his cheek, then smiled.

He knelt next to the men, folding the second blanket up length-ways several times, then gently asked the men to lift their heads.

"I couldn't find any pillows, but this'll do." Nick said, feeling self conscious again.

Liam lifted his head with a tender smile, his nerves ebbing at the affection he was feeling for both men at this moment. He snuggled into Kelly, hoping that he wasn’t pushing too far, and held his hand out to Nick, beckoning him to join them. He knew he needed it, to feel like he didn’t do anything wrong — nothing about how Liam was at the moment was Nick’s fault, after all. It was all Liam, looking for something that wasn’t going to happen from two men he considered his closest friends.

Some of the ache in Nick's chest dissolved when Liam reached out a hand, and he started to feel like this might all be okay. He couldn't have hurt Liam too much if Liam still wanted him next to him. He had been content to let Kelly soothe Liam, to fall into his role of caretaker and collect water and blankets but then fade into the background, but this was nice too.

He didn't let go of Liam's hand as he went to lie down, turned on his side. He wanted to reach for Kelly, draw Kelly in so they are framing Liam, making him feel safe, but he wasn’t sure whether that would be too much, whether Liam would dismiss being that close. So he just idly played with Liam's fingers, splayed out across Liam's thigh, not focusing on anything but the soft feel of the blanket under his cheek.

Liam rolls his head so that his temple is resting against Kelly's, and murmured a question, but was caught off guard at just how tentative he sounded. "Are you two okay to cuddle for a little while?"

He knew Nick wouldn't be opposed, at this point, but he was concerned about Kelly. He invited him to lie down with him, and has been providing much-needed tactile comfort, but he was still nervous, as much as he hated to admit it. There were things he had explored tonight that he hadn't done with anyone else, because for the first time he had felt safe enough to do so. He just wondered to himself if he could handle being alone again.

 _Don't mourn the man before you see his body, Liam,_ he chastised himself. He was getting caught up in tomorrow when he should really just enjoy the present, and the men on either side of him. Whatever happened the next morning would happen, and he would survive – he was good at that, after all.

Kelly doesn't answer straight away, raising his head up slightly to look at Nick, who seemed far away.

"Nicko?" He asked softly.

"Hmm?" Nick replied almost immediately, his gaze finally focusing on something, on the fingers of Liam's hand he'd been idly playing with.

"Liam and I have decided we're not getting off this cloud for a while, want to join us?"

Nick jerked his head to see Liam, to look into his eyes.

"If...if you want me to?"

Liam took Nick's hand and tugged it across him and towards Kelly, pulling him closer. "I didn't invite you to join us for you to be a mile away, Irish. _Honestly_."

Nick wrapped his arm around Kelly's waist (as much as he could with someone between them) and Kelly did the same, cocooning Liam who was still on his back.

Nick could see the individual eyelashes on Liam's amazing eyes from how close they were and he could see Kelly looking at their bedmate softly as well. If they played their cards right, maybe they would get to do this again sometime.

 _There we go._ Liam finally settled into their warmth and embrace, his eyes shut, letting out a long breath. He felt like he could forget about what might happen in the future and just focus on the past couple breathtaking hours, and the current feeling of being warmed and comforted by those he cared about deeply.

Still, there was the matter of someone's guilt to assuage. There was no way Liam was letting this evening go with Nick feeling _guilty_ about anything, for crying out loud. "That was... _magnificent_ ," he said with a soft smile.

Kelly laughed and the puff of breath he let out tickled Liam's cheek. "Gee, do you think?" He teased.

Nick pulled Kelly closer, squishing Liam a bit more, but didn't say anything.

Liam laughed as well, rocking from shoulder to shoulder as he decided he wanted to make the cuddle even closer but he can’t pick a direction he wants to turn.

“Yeah, I _do_ think,” he returned with a grin, looking at Kelly with a huge smile. “Certainly something I’m not going to forget in a hurry.”

"Do you toss and turn this much in bed too?" Kelly asked, laughing.

Liam shrugged at Kelly, mischief in his eyes as he finally starts feeling a bit more normal, his uncertainty about their relationship getting pushed aside for banter. "Well, I know of _one_ way you can find out, love."

"I don't think I've been presented with two options for who I want to spoon me, before," he added with a wink.

"Turn around." Kelly said immediately. "I'm always the big spoon."

Liam settles back into Kelly, winding an arm around Nick and pulling him closer to them both, running a finger up and down his back.

As soon as Liam had moved, Kelly leaned in to whisper in Liam's ear. "Looking forward to it."

When Kelly whispered in his ear, Liam gasped and turned halfway to face him, his eyes wide, his stomach feeling that flutter yet again as he couldn't tamp down the hope surging within him. "Is that... something you want?" He hoped neither of them could feel his heart race at the thought that they might want to spend more time with him, in this capacity.

Nick turned to look over his shoulder into Kelly's eyes, communicating wordlessly in a way that left Liam guessing.

He can feel Liam's heart beating frantically through their skin contact and he picks up Liam's hand and drags it further over him, not letting go as he turned back around.

Kelly looked at Liam, trying to work out how to say it and in the end just blurting out the first thing he could think of. "Fuck yes."

Out of everything that had transpired that evening, those two words made Liam feel more release than anything else. He smiled at Kelly, warm and genuine, as his nerves melted away into sweet warmth, as he relaxed between them. Kelly was so beautiful, from his mercurial eye colour, to that gorgeous mouth that never held back what he thought.

He felt Nick's hand take his and pull it over him, and he squeezed, trying to get as much contact as he could between them all as they were pressed up against one another. But he couldn't tear his eyes from Kelly's at that moment.

"Well, we'll just have to make that happen, then. Won't we, love?"

Time passed, and the men couldn't have said how long before they all seemed to come back to themselves enough to realise they have been lying on the floor of a back room in a sex club for a long time, and should probably move.

Kelly moved first, stretching himself out on the blanket like a starfish, eliciting a small laugh from Nick when he looked over at him.

"Much as I've loved this cuddle pile...can we move somewhere softer?"

Liam gave Nick another affectionate squeeze before tumbling back and stretching languidly beside Kelly. "I'd love to. And I think someone here," he nudged Nick affectionately, "may need to throw his pants in the wash before they stain, if they haven't already."

Nick looked down at his pants as if he had forgotten why they could have been stained, still quiet.

"Back to the _Fiddler_ then?" Kelly said quickly, groaning as he finally sat upright. "No, but seriously, do you know this club well, Bell? Can I get their blanket supplier?"

Liam looked at Nick a few moments, studying him curiously, then looked back at Kelly with a grin. "The _Fiddler_ works for me, if that works for you two. Unless you haven't had enough nights in shitty motels, yet?"

He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "And I do know this club well – the owner owes me a number of favours, if I'm honest, so we could arrange something." He winked at Kelly again, before running a hand through his hair. "I did stock my Boston safehouse with one or two of these, though. We could stop on the way, if you wanted one."

Kelly brightened considerably, though immediately said, "I'm not taking your blankets, dude."

Liam chuckled at him. "It's not like I don't have more, love. And it's not like I plan on using the safehouse for its intended purpose anytime soon."

"At least let us borrow them and bring them to the _Fiddler_ with us, yes? I can always put them back."

"Sounds like a plan." Kelly said, getting to his feet. He walked over to Nick to offer him a hand up and Nick took it. When they were face to face, Kelly whispered, "Are you okay?"

Nick didn't physically shake himself, but it was obvious that he gave his mental state a quick talking to. "Fine, Kels." He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "So we're going to find out where Bell sleeps when he's not off doing something nefarious? Sounds fun." The words sound bright, but these men have known him for a long time, he's faking it.

Liam looked at them both, watching the exchange carefully. “Well, actually, I only sleep there when I am _doing_ something nefarious, darling. Otherwise, it’s better to use motels — keeps the location secure.”

"I'm going to _nefariously_ steal your blankets." Kelly said in all seriousness to Liam, winking at him.

"Let's go then." Nick said, starting towards the door, then realized he was half naked and walked back over to the shirt that he had discarded hours and somehow decades ago, putting it on slowly. 

“Oh I do hope so, love.” He winked at Kelly, before glancing at Nick and then back to Kelly when Nick’s back was turned, a worried expression on his face. They needed to get Nick back to the _Fiddler_ , and quick, so they can talk about what happened.

He picked up Kelly’s shirt and handed it to him with a soft, barely audible murmur, “I’m following your lead here, love.”

Kelly glanced at Nick and then back to Liam, nodding.

Once dressed, Nick walked towards the door again, but then seemed to realise that he had no idea where he's going and turned. "After you, Bell."

Liam hastily buttoned his shirt and took a quick sweep of the room, making sure they weren’t about to leave anything.

He gave them both a rakish grin before leading them out of the room, grateful for the janitorial staff on hand that would take care of what could affectionately be considered the mess.

“Did you drive here, or shall I hail a cab?”

"Cab, definitely cab."

Kelly started to go on about how Boston is hellish to drive around, keeping up the banter until they were out on the street. He was still keeping a close eye on Nick, but trying not to show it. They needed to get him back somewhere familiar, now.

Liam called a cab from the discrete dial-a-cab phone in the foyer of the club, and directed the driver to stop outside a nondescript row house in one of Boston’s quieter districts. The place seemed well looked after, despite Liam’s claims of hardly setting foot in the place.

“I’ll just be a moment with the blankets, darlings,” he said, before fishing out a key from the back of his wallet and heading to the front door.

"Nicko, talk to me." Kelly said as soon as Liam left the cab.

Nick turned, confused by the concerned tone in Kelly's voice. "I am?"

Kelly sighed and just linked their hands together, softly rubbing his thumb across the back of his hand instead. Liam was right, they both needed to do this.

Liam closed the door to the row house with his foot, carrying a couple of neatly rolled blankets in his arms. He shifted them to one side, locking the door and hoping that he gave them enough time to talk alone, if they needed it.

He slid into the cab alongside them both and dumped the blankets in Kelly’s lap with a grin before giving the cab driver directions to the Harbour.

Kelly hugged the blankets to himself with one arm, still holding Nick's hand with the other one. "I am so happy right now." He beamed.

Liam watched in fascination at Kelly as he clutched the blankets happily, his grin giving him warmth.

When they got to the harbour, Kelly had to give Nick a slight push in order to get him out of the cab. Apparently he hadn't even noticed they'd arrived.

Liam’s stomach twisted in worry as he realized Nick's entire lack of situational awareness. He paid the driver, and went to the other side of the cab, holding out his hand for Nick. “Come on darling, let’s get inside, yeah?”

Nick took Liam's hand, seemingly in a bit of a daze.

Kelly got them through the security at the marina, talking to Joe, the guard on duty, who now knew him quite well. He hoped he had talked enough to make it not obvious Nick wasn't doing his usual greetings.

They got onto the _Fiddler_ without incident, and Kelly immediately went toward the comfy seats in the salon, refusing to give up the blankets and thinking they'd probably need one in a minute anyway. Nick looked like he was in shock, and Kelly knew how to deal with that... he'd just never had to about sex before.

Liam immediately followed Kelly with Nick in tow, and pushed him gently to urge him to sit next to Kelly. He sat down on Nick’s other side, curling into him and not letting go of his hand.

Instead of saying anything, he chose to squeeze Nick’s hand and run his thumb up and down Nick’s, waiting for Kelly to take the lead. He figured he knew Nick pretty well by now, but he was often the last person people looked to for comfort.

"Nicko, can you talk to us please?" Kelly started, taking hold of Nick's other hand.

Nick looked up, still a little confused by the question. "I'm fine, Kels."

Kelly looked over the top of Nick's head towards Liam, eyes widening. He didn't know Liam enough to be able to do the telepathy thing that he did with Nick, but he hoped they were attempting this all on the same page. They had to get through to Nick somehow before they could even start talking to him about what was bothering him.

“Nicholas,” Liam murmured, earnestly. “Whatever you are feeling right now... It’s not what I would consider under the realm of the word _fine_.”

He paused, before asking a question and hoping it would be the right one, “Where are you right now? Where are we? And what are we doing?”

Nick blinked a few times, then straightened up a bit. "We're on the _Fiddler_." He said it with an undercurrent of sass, but he also sounded a bit surprised when he did so. "And I _am_ fine, back on US soil for the first time in a while, definitely fine." He smiled, though he looked tired and it didn't meet his eyes.

"Can you close your eyes and do something for me that might sound ridiculous? Just to prove to me that you _are_ fine, alright, darling?"

Liam brought his other hand to Nick's, and started trailing it up and down his arm, fingers ghosting across his skin.

"Can you name three sensations your body is feeling right now?" The more Liam could ground him in the present, the easier this would be. He worried that his own drop out of the clouds and into his own head had triggered all of this happening, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about that now, other than to help Nick through what he was feeling so he could join him and Kelly on the other side. 

Nick looked at Liam like he might have gone mad, but he does close his eyes.

"Er...I'm a bit cold, I guess?"

"Okay, we can fix that. That's one. Give me two more – they don't have to be something negative or positive." He smiled softly at Kelly, reaching for a blanket so they can drape it over Nick and themselves. "How about your feet, what do they feel? Is there ground under them?"

Nick smiled slightly, "rarely." He was quiet for a moment. "I can feel the rocking of the boat though."

He still sounded unsure, like he feels he will get the answers to the question wrong.

Liam hummed in contentment, running his hand up and down Nick's arm and squeezed his shoulder. "You're doing good, darling." Liam fought this urge to press his lips to Nick's temple, not sure of where they were on that front, yet. He could do touches and caresses, though.

"What about the two of us, next to you? How does that feel?"

Nick stiffened when Liam said that, but forced himself to relax afterwards. "Well, I can feel you're there if that's what you mean?"

"What else?" Liam paused, and took a breath. "What does your body feel?"

"Uh...we're holding hands?"

"And what does that feel like?"

Nick opened his eyes, clearly frustrated. "I don't know, Bell. Like when you hold someone's hand! How are you feeling?"

"Worried." Liam said, immediately. "I'm worried that when I started spiraling at the end of our play tonight, it set you off and made you feel all sorts of guilty for things you didn't even do. I'm worried that you haven't stopped spiralling since."

Nick's frustration seemed to deflate and he looked between Kelly and Liam before going back to look at Liam again.

"What are you _talking_ about? Tonight was good, we're back on the _Fiddler_ , Kelly has somehow conned you into securing these blanket clouds. No-one needs to be worried."

"Okay..." Liam said slowly. "Then can I ask why you seemed to be unsure about joining us on the blanket on the floor?" He hesitated for a brief moment, unsure of whether Nick was ready to open up. "Or... if you like, I could talk through what went through my head when I was spiraling – why I needed that comfort, and how I got pulled out of it?"

Nick screwed his face up in confusion "I joined you, we spooned. Did you forget so soon?" Nick attempted a chuckle and a rakish grin, but it fell flat. "I need to make some tea."

Liam refused to let go of Nick, and leant on him even further. "Why did you ask if I wanted you there?"

"I didn–...did I?" Nick asked, and it didn't sound like he was deflecting, he sounded genuinely confused.

Liam nodded. "Even I remember that, even though I was experiencing a sort of 'sub drop'. I told you I didn't invite you down to lie with us just so you could be a mile away."

Nick laughed uncomfortably. "Right. I remember that."

"Were you experiencing a drop, too, of sorts? Or was it something else?" Liam gently ran his hand through Nick's hair, focused entirely on his reactions.

"I don...I don't know. You were on that blanket and Kelly was there and he was looking after you, I didn't know if I was needed, I guess?"

He wished he had a hand free, wished he had the ability to pace, wished he could make tea, but he was boxed in by two people who he trusted and if he wasn't safe there, where would he be?

"Was it... that you didn't know if you were needed, or if you didn't know you were _wanted_?"

"I _really_ need to make that tea." Nick said, going to stand and taking his hand out of Kelly's.

Kelly let him go, knowing that sometimes Nick needed to pace while he was talking, sometimes being too close didn't help him at all.

Liam made to keep Nick right where he was, but saw Kelly let him go and reluctantly let him leave, his warm space cooling quickly between them. He looked at Kelly and back to Nick, hoping his attempts at getting through to Nick didn't push too hard.

Nick did actually walk towards the kitchen area and start to boil the kettle, the noise suddenly loud in the silence, but loud enough that if Kelly spoke quietly, he wouldn't be overheard.

"Sometimes he just needs to move...you're doing really well."

Liam nodded, watching Nick carefully, worrying his lip. He reached out and brushed Kelly's hand with his, seeking the contact under the blanket.

Kelly immediately opened his hand and took Liam's fingers tangled in his own. "We'll work this out, okay?" He squeezed Liam's fingers.

Liam smiled softly at Kelly. "We will." He turned back to watch Nick work in the kitchen, waiting patiently for him to come back to them, or to say something.

Nick did come back after a while, a steaming mug of tea in his hand. He handed Gatorade to the other two, apparently remembering at the last minute that maybe he should be being a host and should have made tea for them. He sat back down in the space he had vacated, but didn't take their hands, instead sitting with his elbows on the table, his hands around his mug.

Liam sat up with Nick so that they were at least shoulder to shoulder, and ran a hand up and down his back. "Do you need me to give you space, darling?"

Nick leant into Liam then immediately leant away, looking down into his cup. "Yes? No?" He laughs derisively. "I don't know." He ended on a whisper.

Liam wrapped an arm around Nick's waist and tugged him closer, so that he was leaning against him. "Well, if it's all the same to you, then, I'll stick around until you ask me to go. Because that's what _I_ want to do, and I'm selfish like that, hmm?"

Nick turned to Liam with surprise on his face before relaxing into him slightly. "I'm just...I don't feel right." He said, speaking into his tea.

Liam took a drink from his Gatorade and squeezed Nick, nuzzling him gently. "Is there something bothering you in particular?"

Nick took a sip of tea, but then lowered his cup immediately, it's too hot.

Kelly handed Nick his Gatorade bottle immediately without a word, and Nick took a swig to soothe the burn on his tongue. "Nicko, _please_ talk to us."

"I don't...I don't know what to say."

"Take your time, darling. We'll be here." Liam placed a kiss on Nick's clothed shoulder before he even realized what he was doing – what he just did. "Do you know when this feeling started?"

Nick closed his eyes and was startled to find that he was near tears. He leant into Liam a little more, before starting and leaning away again.

"Kelly was looking after you..." He said haltingly.

"Yes, he was. Was it just when I started to spiral, when he said that I was okay? That we were okay?" He ran his fingers through Nick's hair again, and started to massage his scalp.

"He had to _look after_ you..." Nick repeated, picking his tea up again and taking a sip to calm his nerves.

"I was... spiralling. I can't say I experienced the drop quite so intensely before, but I also can't say I experienced such an intense high before, either. I didn't..." Liam took a sip of his Gatorade and then placed it on the table so he could wind his other arm around Nick as well.

"... I've never entered subspace before. Never trusted anyone else enough to do it with."

Nick turned to look at Liam, really look at him. "Seriously? But...you use that club...a lot I'm guessing?"

Liam nodded, an almost wistful smile on his face. "I... don't make it a habit to be with the same person more than once. And I don't place my trust in just anyone."

Another cloud crossed Nick's face and he reached for his mug again, this time cupping his hands around it.

"... What? What was that?"

Nick took a sip of his tea, seeming to deflate slightly in Liam's arms. "What was what?" He asked tiredly.

"You had a _look_ on your face. A look that said you were thinking something self-deprecating. _Again_."

Nick laughed derisively. "If you're going to be sticking around, you'll catch that look a lot."

Liam rolled his eyes at him. "Well, the plan _is_ to stick around, unless you have any objections. But it does mean I'm going to ask what happened when you _do_ think those things, especially in response to something _I_ said."

Kelly looked at Liam at that, offering him a genuine smile. It might be nice to have two of them on this.

Liam returned Kelly's smile, happy to know they were on the same page.

Nick spoke almost in a whisper. "You trust me."

" _Yes_. Of course I do." Liam paused for a moment before adding. "Do you think you betrayed my trust at any point this evening?"

Nick raised a hand to his face, leaning forward again so he could rest an elbow on the table, his head in that hand. He played the fingers of his other hand over the mug on the table.

"You _trust me_..." Nick started, then got even softer as he continued until it's barely a breath at the end. "You trust me, and I _hurt you_. Kelly had to look after you because I _hurt you_."

“Oh, _Nick_ ,” Liam said softly, squeezing him gently as he tried to keep his voice steady. “You didn’t hurt me, not at _all_.”

"How can you say that? Kelly had to look after you immediately, you were feeling awful. I did that. I _hurt you_." Nick replied, resolutely not looking at either of the two men.

Liam shook his head. “It wasn’t you, I was... mourning that what we had done was ending. And I didn’t know if...” Liam worried his lip nervously, but continued. “I didn’t know if we were going to do it again, or if it was a one time thing and we were going to go our separate ways. The only thing that hurt _me_ was the thought of it being _over_ after that. And the fact that it was _that_ that made me feel as awful as I did really did scare me.”

Kelly looked over at Liam, the softest look he's ever seen on the Doc's face, and he smiled.

Nick didn't move, and Kelly belatedly realised this wasn't over yet, Nick wasn't done saying whatever it was he needed to say.

"How can you want to stay?" Nick whispered. "I hurt you..." His voice got so soft that it was barely there, and Kelly and Liam had to strain to hear it. "...and I liked it."

“ _Oh_ , you mean _that_ type of hurt.” Liam bit back a soft chuckle at the realization. “Well, I liked it when you hurt me that way, too." He paused. "But... Nick. You know that I don’t enjoy being choked or gagged just any old time, right? Outside of sexual situations, that is?”

Nick scrubbed his hand down his face, his eyes glistening, then went back to staring into his mug.

"I don't think anyone does..." Nick said slowly, unsure where Liam was going with that line of thought.

"Would you enjoy what you did to me outside of a sexual situation?" Liam reached for Nick's face, rubbing his thumb along his cheek.

As soon as Liam started to stoke Nick's cheek, a tear did fall from his eyes and he collapsed into Liam.

"I thought what we did was so good, so good and I thought we would get to do it again, and then..." His breath hitched, "then I thought I had ruined it, I thought I had gone too far...I thought I'd hurt you and I don't want to be... I'm _not_ that man any more... or I thought I wasn't... I don't know..." He trailed off. "I don't know."

Kelly reached for Nick as soon as he fell into Liam, as soon as he started to talk, shifting as close as he possibly could and putting a hand on Nick's arm, stroking the skin there.

"You're _not_ that man, Nicko. You're not."

Nick whispered, barely audible. "I don't know. I just don't know."

Liam wound himself around Nick and started to rock, making a soft, cooing sound as he does.

"It _was_ really good, darling. You didn't ruin _anything_ , and you didn't hurt me in ways that I didn't also find pleasure in."

He kept stroking Nick with one hand, rubbing into his scalp before trailing his fingers down his back. Nick could _never_ be the type of man that hurts or kills others for a living, and especially not the type of man who could take joy in it. That was Liam, not him.

"You're really not that man, Nicholas. Trust me, you're not."

There's no way Liam could know that rocking soothed Nick, that it reminded him of a time Ty did the same thing, that it reminded him of a time that despite being horrific also made him feel strong, made him feel he could overcome anything.

"You...you really liked what we did?" He said in such a small voice it made Kelly want to hurt anything that had ever hurt the man he loved. He got even closer, wrapping an arm around Nick's waist as well.

Liam continued rocking, seeing the soothing effect it had on Nick and made a mental note to use that in the future. "Darling, I _loved_ it," he grinned at them both. "It was _magnificent_ and _perfect_ and everything I imagined."

He leant in to ask a question directly into Nick's ear, although the murmur was still audible. "Do you trust me, darling?" He paused, wondering if that was the right question. "If anything, do you trust me to speak my mind?"

"Yes." Nick breathed, and he was surprised to find the jolt in his chest at the simple word, because he did. He trusted Liam fucking Bell, of all people.

"Then trust me when I say that if you ever do anything that pushes too far, or that _truly_ hurts in unwelcome ways, you will be the first to know. You'll know well before Kelly has time to swoop in and offer comfort. That's what safewords are for, and that's what I use my bell for when I can't speak."

He grinned to himself and added, "At worst, I can get out of nearly every bind you put me in, including the one from tonight. I've done it before, and I can and will do it again should the situation arise."

Nick turned in the circle of the arms holding him and gave him a tentative smile.

"Okay." He said softly. "Okay." He felt like a great weight had been lifted off him, the horror that he'd been feeling for the last few hours dulling to it's normal guilty ache. That, he could deal with.

Moments later he wiped at his face with his hands and then settled Liam with a look that was all fire, none of the tentative man of a few minutes ago remaining. "Then I look forward to tying you up in _all sorts of ways_ in future."

Liam grinned slyly, taking a moment to just appreciate the look Nick was giving him with relish, how it stroked his ego and made another region in his body twitch. "I can hardly wait, darling."

**Author's Note:**

> Come and visit the [Cut & Run Discord Server](https://discord.gg/vvy6c76) and join us as we discuss/scream about this awesome series.


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